Mystics, Jungian Visionaries,

and Madness

A presentation by Ted Fillery

Thursday 6 November 2014 7.20-9.30pm

Quaker House, 10 Hampson Street, Kelvin Grove

Park on Prospect Terrace

Members and Concession: $10, Non-members $15

What did Ezekiel, Saint Teresa of Avila, and Jacob Böhme have in common with early Jungians; with you and me and others in analysis? When we tap into the power of the unconscious, do we become enlightened or do we risk madness?

Jacob Böhme was a simple shoemaker in Germany. In the year 1600 he was granted a vision triggered by observing the beauty of a beam of sunlight reflected in a pewter dish. He believed this vision revealed to him the spiritual structure of the world, as well as the relationship between God and man, good and evil.

In the lecture we will explore the way such images became eureka moments for some of Jung’s circle of early followers in the Vision Seminars (1930-4). In particular we will focus on the life of Christiana Morgan whose images became the subject of those Seminars. We will look at observations of madness made by Jung during the Zarathustra Seminars (1934-9).

Ted Fillery, recently retired from teaching and moved to Brisbane, is the divorced father of six grown children and a step- daughter. He volunteered for many years as a chaplain at a children’s hospital and at an AIDS hospice in Toronto, before training in Zürich during the 90’s and practicing as a Jungian Analyst in Toronto, Montréal and now Brisbane. He is here in Australia with his partner Ingrid who works for Rio Tinto.